ESA brings to each project a broad point of view that comes from over four decades of working with private developers, municipal utilities, the public, and federal, state, and local agencies coupled with the project-specific expertise and practical knowledge it takes to perform at the local level.

At ESA, we employ over 350 bright, creative, and dedicated professionals throughout our California, Florida, Oregon, and Washington offices. Ours is a top notch team widely recognized for technical excellence and solutions-based consulting.

ESA was founded in California in 1969, shortly before enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)—landmark laws that have greatly influenced environmental planning and analysis.

Storm surges occurring atop rising sea levels will cause extreme water levels to occur more frequently over the next few decades, increasing the frequency and depth of potential flooding. This has the potential to significantly impact coastal communities such as the City of Eureka located adjacent to Humboldt Bay along the Northern California Coast.
Much of Downtown Eureka, including its industrial and other coastal land uses, port activities, transportation links and utilities, is within low-lying areas threatened by sea level rise. read more »

On September 18, 2013 the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) released the revised draft guidelines for the third and final round of Sustainable Communities Planning Grants and Incentives Program (funded by the Prop 84 grant). The primary goal of the grant is to fund the development or implementation of plans that lead to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to foster the development of sustainable communities in California. read more »

AB 32 Scoping Plan
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is currently updating the AB 32 Scoping Plan. The Scoping Plan update will define ARB’s climate change priorities for the next five years and lay the groundwork to reach post-2020 GHG reduction goals (e.g., 80% below 1990 levels by 2050). ARB held public workshops throughout California in June and July of this year to discuss the Scoping Plan Update. Stakeholder comments were accepted from June 13, 2013 through August 5, 2013. read more »

Local and regional planning in California is profoundly changing due to our state’s climate change laws. Nation-leading mandates for deep cuts in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are becoming a driving force in community planning across the state, generating the need for multidisciplinary expertise in transportation, land use, resource management, GHG emissions accounting, climate change policy, and CEQA. read more »

ESA Vigil-Agrimis is pleased to announce that the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber recently awarded Ken Vigil, Vice President and Portland Office Director, the Latino Business BRAVO! Award. The Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber works with all members of the community to increase the economic advancement of Latinos in Oregon and Southwest Washington. read more »

ESA is a proud sponsor of this five-venue exhibition examining visions of the urban landscape in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The twentieth century saw both a series of ambitious efforts to reimagine the city of San Francisco and the explosive growth of the Bay Area as a metropolitan region. In Unbuilt San Francisco: The View from Futures Past, the California Historical Society and SPUR present some of the most revealing episodes in these distinct but related streams of civic discourse through projects that were proposed but never realized. read more »

Environmental Science Associates (ESA), a leading California environmental consulting firm, is pleased to announce that Bob Battalio, PE, has been appointed to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s (BCDC) Engineering Criteria Review Board (ECRB) on July 18, 2013. Bob will contribute Coastal Civil Engineering expertise. read more »